Written by: Khalis Rifhan

Harimau Muda coach Razip Ismail did not mince his words after witnessing his side crumbling 4-1 to Albirex Niigata (S) despite taking the lead early in the game.

The defeat was Harimau’s 11th of the 2014 Great Eastern Yeo’s S.League campaign and Razip felt that his players were having a tough time matching to their opponents’ fitness after the interval.

“We had a bad second half even though we took the lead in the first half,” said a visibly disappointed Razip after the match.

“The two goals we let in from set-pieces and two goals from the corner, it is very bad. We looked very tired in the second half.

“I think my players were having difficulties to cope with the opponents’ pace in the game. I told the players before the game that we have to be good in every department to match the opponents,” added Razip.

The former Kuala Lumpur FA coach went on to explain the difficult situation he was facing in the team: “I have lost few players through injuries and we played at home, we need to play more attacking but defensively we are very poor.”

One would have expected the White Swans coach Tatsuyuki Okuyama to put on a big smile on his face after their impressive win, but Okuyama felt that his side still had rooms for improvements.

“We are trying to improve the defence but sometimes our players are a bit confused and today’s was a good lesson for us,” explained Okuyama after seeing his side trailing by a goal after 20 minutes.

“I knew that Harimau Muda is a young team and I was expecting them to start very strongly. It was not a surprise for me.”

“He is getting better and better. But I think he can do more and I look forward to his performance in the next game,” added Okuyama on his hat-trick hero Kazuki Sakamoto.